HARRY POTTER, eat your heart out. I have whizzed round Australia in just half an hour – in a broomstick blur from the Barrier Reef to Ayers Rock and Kakadu in the north. Now I'm staring down at the grid of Sydney's threadlike streets, enjoying the view from the observation deck of the Sydney Tower.
With everything you could desire close to hand,you won't want to leave Sydney's waterfront.
That ride round Australia – 30 minutes of sheer ballyhoo aboard the virtual reality of Oztrek (fun for all the family in a simulated big-dipper seat), is a
bite-sized second-hand fling.
But the Tower is real and impressively high – it has a stomach-churning drop of 250 metres – and the view from it is as good as it gets. Everything is here: the coat-hanger bridge, the sails of the Opera House curving majestically over the harbour. And what a harbour – it's Sydney's great highway and its heart.
If you miss the harbour, you have missed the point of being in Sydney. Nor does it have to cost you a fortune to stay here – from sleeping to eating and having fun. Try these 12 unbeatable things to do.
STAY RIGHT ON THE HARBOUR
Book in at the Harbourside Apartments (
www.harboursideapartments.com.au), which have sensational views of the city – both the great icons sit in your lap, and you are just a handful of steps away from pretty Lavender Bay, McMahons Point and the handy wharf where regular Sydney ferries will take you in seven minutes past Luna Park funfair, beneath the bridge, to Circular Quay. The serviced apartments come in three sizes, and with a swimming pool with loungers and barbecue facilities. Once you have stayed here, you will be hooked for life.
TAKE TO THE WATER
Get a Sydney Pass (
www.sydneypass.info), which covers trains, buses and ferries. The pass gives access to Bondi and City Explorer buses, as well as daily rides on the Jet Cat and River Cat routes and the traditional Sydney Ferries, all from £49 per person.
WHITE SAILS IN THE SUNSET
Great though it is to hop on a ferry, best of all is a luxury yacht – complete with skipper. For £55, you can indulge a fantasy of wealth beneath billowing sails for three hours, with the harbour your oyster. Sydney by Sail (
www.sydneybysail.com) encourages tourist participation, and my wife trims the sails while I winch the ropes.
TAKE A DIP IN THE BRINY
Catch the ferry to Watsons Bay, winsomely pretty with its very own Sydney icon: Doyles Fish Restaurant, where a fish supper does the job. The waves are perfect to swim in – crystal blue and gently shelved above pristine sands – with a view of the bridge beyond Garden Island.
CLIMB THAT BRIDGE
Scale the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge (
www.bridgeclimb.com) – it's addictive (I've done it four times) and far easier than it looks. After two hours of easy strolling, you stand proudly on the summit. Click – the money shot: elevation meets overwhelming exhilaration. It's all downhill from here. From £88.
GO FUNFAIR CRAZY
The world's best funfair location is surely at Milsons Point, where Luna Park, with its grinning-face entrance, perches on the harbour. Old-fashioned rides – ferris wheel, dodgems, carousel and Tango Train – dazzle and ooze nostalgia. Admission is free, and rides cost from £1.50.
HISTORIC BEGINNINGS
Fort Denison served as a convict island, where inmates were starved, flogged and sometimes hanged from the gibbet to rot in the wind. By the mid-1800s, the island had been levelled to build a fort against the (non-existent) threat of Russian invasion during the 1850s Crimean war. Today you can tour the Martello Tower, where a lighthouse still operates and a cannon is fired at 1pm from the ramparts. Eat at the café or bring a picnic and make the most of the Sydney sunshine. Tour and ferry tickets are available from Cadman's Cottage, on George Street, or the National Parks website (
www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).
ON THE ROCKS
Sydney has markets like leopards have spots. There's Balmain market for toys, Paddy's Market for cheap Ugg boots. Then there's the fascinating tropical fruit stalls, Bondi Beach for funk and bric-a-brac, and the famous Rocks market, all along George Street, which has something for everyone.
A FEAST FOR THE SENSES
Perched on the water at Milsons Point (five minutes by ferry from Circular Quay), with to-die-for views from below the bridge, sits Ripples (
www.ripplescafe.com.au), our favourite restaurant. It isn't flash but it serves delicious Australian cuisine at modest prices. Bring your own bottle and enjoy a feast of tenderloin of beef, tempura prawns or a vegetarian selection, all served with stunning harbour views.
CRUISING – ABORIGINAL-STYLE
For centuries before the British First Fleet's arrival, in January 1788, the aboriginals lived on the harbour in harmony with nature; fishing and hunting and gathering their food. Today's aboriginals will take you on a cruise to tiny Clark Island, their one-time stamping ground, demonstrating traditional dance, boomerang-throwing and didgeridoo technique. Tribal Warrior (
www.tribalwarrior.org) departs from Circular Quay at 12.45pm from Tuesday to Saturday, with tickets costing £25.
MEET THE ANIMALS
Set among bush and reached by ferry, Taronga Zoo (
www.zoo.nsw.gov.au) sprawls majestically down to the harbour, giving its 4,000 furred and feathered residents and their visitors marvellous views. Buy a ZooPass at Circular Quay. Costing £16 for adults, £7 for children, it includes a ferry ticket, bus to the entrance and admission. Start at the top and work your way down.
GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE OPERA HOUSE
A visit to Sydney must have the Opera House (
www.sydneyoperahouse.com) high on its list as it's a world-class wonder. Go online and book ahead to take in a show, but even without the buzz of a performance, the building is a must-see marvel of engineering. Tours cost £11 and give the lowdown on the drama of the Opera House's conception and construction, its personality clashes and setbacks.
For more information about Sydney and its attractions, see the Australian tourist office website (
www.australia.com)
Fact file SydneyEmirates (
www.emirates.com, 0844 800 2777) flies daily from Glasgow to Sydney, via Dubai, with fares starting from £653 per person (including taxes).
The full article contains 1068 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
